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Class of 2011: Spartan Spirit Goes to College

John Baptist de La Salle: A Champion for Humanity

The Brotherhood of the Spartan is Like No OtherL L

UnionUnion

Fall 2011

DE LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL

SCHOLARSHIP

UNION FALL 2011

A School’s Vision

A De La Salle

graduate is a

Man of Scholarship

Message from the President

Mark DeMarco ’78President

If you spend much time in the companyof education professionals, you are like-ly to hear a curious term that soundslike “esslers.” Esslers? What are theytalking about?

The educators may be quite animat-ed, even excited, when they are talkingabout this topic, but if you slow themdown and ask them to explain their jar-gon, they will be happy to share.

ESLR is the acronym for an“Expected Schoolwide LearningResult.” A school’s ESLRs are a concisebut clear announcement of what itexpects its students to master and howit expects them to develop while theyare in its care. One good brief defini-tion of a school’s ESLRs is this: “Aninterdisciplinary statement that embod-ies the school’s vision.”

With this definition in mind, itshould be clear why educators mightget excited on this topic, because theyare talking about the vision that drivesthem and the goals toward which theywork. This is where they focus theirexpertise and creativity and energy.This is what they have set theirhearts on.

De La Salle High School’s ESLRs

A De La Salle graduate is a Man ofFaith, who prays and integrates Gospelvalues,�serves others, especially thepoor and the marginalized,�and appreci-ates our Catholic, Lasallian tradition.

A De La Salle graduate is a Man ofIntegrity, who respects himself and oth-ers, embraces social and personalresponsibility,�and nurtures a healthylifestyle.

A De La Salle graduate is a Man ofScholarship, who thinks creatively, criti-cally, independently, and collaborative-ly,�strives for academic excellence,�and pursues life-long learning.

The “Scholarship” ESLR is thetheme of this Union, and as we begin anew school year I want to welcomeagain to the office of Principal a manwho is eminently qualified to lead ourefforts in regard to Scholarship. As weseek to develop “men of scholarship”and “lifelong learners,” Brother RobertWickman, F.S.C., is not just a leaderbut a role model. He went to highschool with the De La Salle ChristianBrothers in New York, and upon gradu-ating began to train for his vocation asa Christian Brother. He has a B.A. inpolitical science, an M.A. in theology, aM.Ed. in educational administration,and a Graduate Certificate in theTheology of Religious Life. As teacherand administrator he has served at sev-eral schools on both the east coast andwest coast. He was Principal here inConcord from 1994 to 1998, and wasPresident of Justin-Siena High School inNapa from 2007 to 2009. He is a mem-ber of the board of trustees ofCathedral High School in Los Angeles,and has led special study commissionsand research projects for the Lasallianmission in the U.S. Both visionary andpractical, Brother Robert is one of thefinest Catholic, Lasallian educators inthe nation, and De La Salle HighSchool is blessed to have him back onits team.

Welcome back, Brother Robert.Welcome back, continuing students.And welcome, new students and fami-lies. A great new school year, the 47thin our history, is beginning.

In the spirit of Saint John Baptist de La Salle,

Mark DeMarco ’78President

FALL 2011 UNION 1

Mark DeMarco ’78 President

Brother Robert J. Wickman, F.S.C. Principal

Marilyn Gardner Chief Financial Officer

Heather Pastorini Chief Advancement Officer

PRESIDENT’S CABINET

The De La Salle “Union” is a bond of unity for the extended De La Salle family — alumni, parents, alumni parents and the many friends whomake up our school’s growing family.

The School Seal

The school seal is an important part

of the identity of De La Salle High

School. The symbols used to make up

the seal have particular meanings that

reflect the values and purpose of the

school. In the center of the seal is the

Chi Rho (Kye Row). This is the Greek

abbreviation of the title “Christ.” The

first two letters of the word Christos or

“Christ” are “Chi” and “Rho,” repre-

sented in the Greek alphabet as a

capital “X” and “P.” The fleur-de-lis,

with “lis” meaning lily in French,

reminds us of our French origins with

Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The

lamp is a symbol of knowledge, remind-

ing us of our primary purpose as a

school — education. The section of

broken chain represents freedom —

freedom from ignorance. The chain

surrounding the seal signifies strength

and unity. “Les Hommes de Foi” is

French for “Men of Faith.”

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE

About the cover: Saint John Baptist de La Salle holds “The Conduct of Schools,” the pioneer-ing manual that guided the Christian Brothers in the early 1700s in creating free schools forpoor children that became true communities of learning that promoted faith, integrity, andscholarship. Watching him with approval is Martin Luther King, Jr., flanked by his wife,Coretta. The sculpture by Mario Chiodo portrays 26 remarkable people and is based on hismonumental bronze sculpture “Champions for Humanity.” For the full story, see page 2.

Produced by the Office of Advancement

De La Salle High School1130 Winton DriveConcord CA 94518Tel: (925) 288-8100Fax: (925) 686-3474www.dlshs.org

Comments, questions, news?Contact J. A. Gray at grayj@dlshs.org

Editor: J. A. Gray

Layout and design: Jack Farage Design, Email: farage4ar t@yahoo.com

Text: J. A. Gray, Anthony V. Dominguez,Brintha Gardner, Patrick G. McGuire,Alexandra Stevenson, Karla Wiese

Photos: Steve Abreu, DavidBlankenhorn/See 360 Studios, DerrickeBrown, Mario Chiodo, De La SalleInstitute Archives, Al Del Grande, MattGarcia, J. A. Gray, Wade Haley, LifetouchStudios, Bob Sansoe, Greg Tarczynski,Kelly Trevethan

Read the Union online at www.dlshs.org

campus news2 Champions immortalized in art

4 On scholarship and scholarships

6 The graduating class of 2011

12 Sophomore scientist goes to Germany

12 The how and why of homework

13 A field day in the rain

14 Old books and new people

15 Summer play and summer work

advancement16 New wine in new wineskins

19 100 percent in 100 days starts now

alumni news20 Alumni Donors Honor Roll

23 Alumnus of the Year Steven Abreu

24 Summer 2011 reunions

24 In Memoriam

25 Brother Maris golf report

26 What’s happening, classes?

28 Hall of Fame induction

spartan sports30 Spring sports overview

30 Award-winning scholar-athletes

31 Straight shooters take the crown

32 Was it the best year ever?

Union Fall 2011

2 UNION FALL 2011

Among the GiantsJohn Baptist de La Salle:

a Champion for Humanity

Raised in Oakland andnow residing inDanville, sculptor

Mario Chiodo began, afterthe terrorist attacks of9/11/2001, to create a monu-mental sculpture showingpeople he regards as heroes inthe struggle for justice and peace. The sculpture, titled“Remember Them: Champions for Humanity,” is beingunveiled in Henry J. Kaiser Memorial Park in Oaklandon September 6, 2011. It is a group of four pieces, incast bronze on bases of cast stone. The total installationis 52 feet wide and 21 feet high, covers more than 1,000square feet, uses 60,000 pounds of bronze, and features25 portraits of “champions,” and seven sets of symbolichuman figures representing the seven continents. AsChiodo says, “I have chosen humanitarians who sharethe common threads of courage, perseverance, education,sacrifice, and a sincere desire to strive for a better life forall. This monument represents an international cross-sec-tion of visionaries through several centuries who haveinspired and aided others.”

When De La Salle High School was searching for aunique piece of art that would anchor its new studentcenter and express and support the school’s educationalmission, a connection with Mario Chiodo was made,thanks to the inspiration and generosity of De La Salleparent Dennis Varni. The result was Chiodo’s creation ofa customized version of his massive work-in-progress, inwhich the artist included Saint John Baptist de La Salle,founder of the Christian Brothers, as well as symbolsfrom the De La Salle High School seal: the fleur de lis,the chain of unity, and the motto “Les Hommes de Foi.”The De La Salle installation is named “Faith, Integrity,

The sculpture that makes the eastern wall of the Kenneth H. Hofmann Student Center burst with life seems massive.But it is of modest size when compared to the full-scale installation for which it is a “study model.” Three years afterhe installed the De La Salle version of the sculpture, the artist unveils his full work of art.

Chiodo works in clay on theeyes of Franklin Roosevelt

Scholarship,” in keeping with theprincipal goals of the school forits students. It was unveiled anddedicated on September 14,2008, with Chiodo in attendance.

In regard to scholarship,Chiodo points out a subtle featureof his work: “The base includessculptures of books to illus-trate the importance of educa-tion in the lives and work ofall of the honorees.” He isright. When you stare up atthe artwork on the wall, youare awed by the faces and by thesuffering, yearning, resolution,and compassion they express.But beneath the men and women, and all around them, andheld in their hands, are great works of literature and intellect.By actual count, there are93 books sculpted into thepiece. Our Founder thrustsforward his classic work

The Conduct of Schools, and among the other titles are The Bible, The City of God (St.Augustine), War and Peace (Tolstoy), The Rights of Man (Paine), Poems (Rumi), Slave

Narratives (Douglass), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Angelou), Democracy in

America (Tocqueville), The Quran, The Gettysburg Address (Lincoln), Through My Eyes

(Ruby Bridges), The Life of the Buddha, The

World I Live in (Helen Keller), Portrait of the

Artist as a Young Man (Joyce), and Long

Walk to Freedom (Mandela). AsChiodo’s website says, his work is

meant to be “a multi-facetededucational initiative to inspire the

public – particularly young people – to deepen their personalcommitment to humanitarian values and actions in their ownlives and communities.”

Unique, education-al, inspiring, and challeng-ing, De La Salle HighSchool’s signature sculp-ture by Mario Chiodo iseducation with a humanface – with 26 humanfaces, each with its greatstory to tell. The websitefor Mario Chiodo’s sculp-ture is: www.remember-them.org.

FALL 2011 UNION 3

campus news

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Chiodo’s bust of De La Sallestands in the school reception area

Chiodo’s head of Winston Churchill

Books line the base uponwhich the great ones stand

4 UNION FALL 2011

campus news

“Men of Scholarship” - A De La Salle CommitmentOn July 1, 2011, Brother Robert J. Wickman, F.S.C., officially began his service as Principal. On the same date, MarkDeMarco officially began his fifth year as President. As the chief academic officer and chief executive officer of theschool, they plan a close working relationship. The two are old acquaintances and veteran Lasallian educators, and wetook a moment with them recently to ask for a distillation of their views on “scholarship” at De La Salle.

Mark DeMarco: “One of the best definitions I have found for a scholar is ‘aperson who has an aptitude for study.’ What better trait could a school instillin a young man? Scholarship to me means not just absorbing knowledge or dis-playing learning, but a committed habit of thinking things through and apply-ing what has been learned. I once wrote a little paraphrase of St. Paul’s Epistleto the Corinthians on love: ‘If I have straight A’s and pass every test, but can’tapply it to everyday life, did I really learn anything? If I can recite countlessfacts, but cannot benefit my neighbor, am I really a scholar in the Lasallian tra-dition?’ Scholarship goes along with integrity and with faith as one of theaspects of a whole, complete person. And in Lasallian education, the personalrelation is basic. I still remember, as a freshman here in 1974, going home andtelling my parents, ‘They make you feel like a person.’ The path to the head isthrough the heart. It is in touching the heart of a student that you gain credi-bility with him, so that he can respond to the opportunity for learning, and willpersevere in the sometimes difficult work of becoming a real scholar.”

Brother Robert J. Wickman, F.S.C.: “Mark is right about the relational aspect. Theold line about the Three R’s is: Reading, Riting, and Rithmetic. But in Lasallian educa-tion we add three more R’s: Relationships, Rigor, and Relevance. Relationships are thestarting point: getting to know who the students are and their genuine needs. Rigor is anessential quality of the programs of study that we offer. And Relevance means that ourcurriculum is anchored in the real world, so that our students are prepared for realengagement in the world. Our faculty is highly skilled, our counseling department is first-rate, our college acceptances are excellent, our applications for admission are very high,and our academic program is excellent and always improving. And we have recently hadgreat WASC and CLASP evaluations. Coming back to the principal’s job after 13 yearsaway, I’m struck by all the evidence that we are serving our students well in helping themto develop both intellectually and as whole, complete persons. In the mid-90s we werejust getting started in articulating the school’s mission. Now it is evident that our valuesas a Catholic, Lasallian school are well understood and effectively lived out.” Brother Robert J. Wickman, F.S.C.

Mark DeMarco

Though much of the booklet isprinted in paper-saving tiny type,five full pages are needed to list 81 seniors

and the total of 235 scholarships and academic meritawards that they received from the colleges and universities they willattend. Another three pages report the many Awards and DistinguishedAwards given by De La Salle High School to members of this senior class for theirleadership, service, initiatives, and commitment. One full page lists those seniors who have beenrecognized by the National Honor Society, the California Scholarship Federation, and the Youth Educator Awards.Finally, the program lists those seniors whose committed application to the mastery of some field of learning hasearned them recognition from one of De La Salle’s academic departments with an award for highest achievement.These students, and the disciplines in which they were honored at graduation, are listed below.

The 2011 commencement programis a fairly thick booklet. It has to be, to carry the good news of the graduating class’s academic achievements.

SCHOLARSHIPREPORT

English Stephan Herbert Spangenberg

Mathematics Joseph Anthony Jankowski

Physical Education Christian Joseph Zulawski

Religious Studies Matthew Albert Bravo

Science Joseph Anthony Jankowski

Social Studies Nicholas James Stich

Art William Brendan Carpenter

Music Connor Walker Challey

Theatre Gabriel Anthony Relich

World Languages Austin Conrad Freitas

Campus Ministry Philippe Alexandre Videau

and Moises Roberto De Leon Delgadillo

FALL 2011 UNION 5

Academic Departmental Awards for the Class of 2011

2011

A De La Salle graduate is a man of scholarship, who thinks creatively, critically, independently, and collaboratively,

strives for academic excellence, and pursues life-long learning.

campus news

6 UNION FALL 2011

For the Class of 2011, Commencement Week mingled the exultation of achievement with the sadnessof parting. On May 16, the Alumni Association sponsored Senior Presentation Day and the Alumni SeniorBreakfast. On May 20, the Baccalaureate Mass was celebrated. And on Sunday, May 22, the seniorsreceived their diplomas. At the Alumni Senior Breakfast, this prayer was spoken.

Men of Faith, Integrity, and Scholarship:Commencement 2011

This morning, wehonor the spirit ofSaint John Baptist

de La Salle and theChristian Brothers, inwhose name we celebratethese young men of theclass of 2011 and theiraccomplishments. As wedo, let us be grateful forour guests this morning,especially the alumniamong us. Your presencehere is a testament to thesteadfast spirit of community that marks De La SalleHigh School.

Class of 2011: This will certainly be the last timethat you will all gather to share a meal. Appreciate thismoment, and embrace the spirit of brotherhood that isso evident in your work and actions. May your experi-ences here define your future purpose and may youcarry the virtues of Saint John Baptist de La Salle withyou as you prepare to leave. Be sure to recognize yourstrengths, as well as the strengths of your classmates,and acknowledge your potential and worth.

By now you have recognized the value of faith,integrity, and scholarship. I’m sure these words are acommon part of your vocabulary and a significant partof who you are. When it comes down to it – you areSpartans. You will always be Spartans, and thereforeyou must carry the responsibility of that claim with careand grace. You have grown into men – men I am proudto know, men I admire and believe in.

So I leave you with these final words, though thewords are not my own. They are from the greatAmerican track and field star, Jesse Owens: “In the end,it's extra effort that separates a winner from secondplace. But winning takes a lot more than that, too. Itstarts with complete command of the fundamentals.Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fair-ness, and respect for your fellow man. Put all thesetogether, and even if you don't win, how can you lose?"

Now, let us pray: Loving God, as we prepare to eatthis meal, may we feel blessed for the bounty before us,but remain mindful of those who are hungry. Amen.

— Alexandra Stevenson

Alexandra Stevenson, English

instructor and Senior Class

Moderator, gave the invocation at

the Alumni Senior Breakfast. Photos

from the breakfast are on page 7.

campus news

FALL 2011 UNION 7

8 UNION FALL 2011

campus news

Perhaps the mostimportant lessonthis school has

taught me arose from myclassmates. It was whenwe attended the KairosRetreat that I learnedthat true knowledge isnot confined within thewalls of a library but isfound by understandingothers, and that only by

understanding others may we find true wisdom. Myexperience at Kairos is embodied in the following prayerthat was shared with me while on that retreat:

I sought my soul, but my soul I could not seeI sought my God, but my God eluded meI sought my brother, and I found all three.

On the Kairos retreat, we grew closer as a class, butmore importantly, as brothers. And by growing witheach other, we formed a better relationship with God.Kairos was a time when we tore down any barriers wemay have put up to block God’s presence and the lovethat is always around us. We realized that each of us hasa unique story and we learned to be there for each other.We no longer judged; we accepted our brothers for whothey truly are, not for the masks that humans oftenwear. We have all had our struggles in life, but through

support and trust in each other, we can get through any-thing. This bond that we have formed is one that I willcherish forever.

Brothers, look what we’ve become. We are Men ofFaith when we open our eyes to truly see “the holy pres-ence of God.” We are Men of Integrity when we staytrue to ourselves while standing up and taking action forwhat we believe in. We are Men of Scholarship when wedemonstrate a passion to learn, and a passion for discov-ering and acting upon what is true.

But we couldn’t have done this alone. God has gra-ciously blessed us with people in our lives to aid us onour journey. Thank you to the faculty and staff, yourguidance and welcoming attitudes made the school adynamic place to learn. Thank you to all the parents foryour dedicated support every year. Thank you to every-one here who has made De La Salle feel like home. I’mgoing to miss everyone and everything about De LaSalle. As I think about all the times we have together asa class, a certain feeling comes over me.

That feeling is called love, and that’s what I experi-enced every day at De La Salle. At times in my life, I wasconstantly searching for love, and through you guys, mybrothers, I have found this love. You inspired me to bemy best self. Your actions of love and care matter to me.By reaching out to me, you have shown me thatBrotherhood isn’t a catchphrase: it’s a way of life.

— An excerpt from the 2011 valedictoryaddress by Patrick Maguire

Valedictorian Patrick George Maguire ’11 is attending California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo

FALL 2011 UNION 9

campus news

Thank you to my family and the families of myclassmates for supporting us on this morning andover the past four years. Thank you to my

younger sister for inspiring me to be a role model.Thanks you to my mom for always assuring me I wouldsucceed, no matter how difficult school got. Thank you,dad, for being there to ensure that I was always focusedon school. And thank you both for putting the value ofan education above the value of a dollar.

Thank you to the faculty and staff: you pushed us towork through the difficulties that we experienced in theclassroom. The most special lessons that you taught uswere not the ones about facts and figures, but the lifelessons: You taught us to be there forthose that we care about. You taughtus to become tolerant of and tounderstand those with different opin-ions from our own. You not onlyhelped us to become smarter men,you helped us to become better men.

As a member of the track team, Ihave learned to break down a raceinto four parts, known as the legs ofa race. The four years of high schoolare similar. The start, freshman year,everyone is eager to start, but theeagerness is mixed with fear. I remem-ber that first year learning aboutSaint John Baptist de La Salle, andhow he used his wealth to benefit others that were lessfortunate and founded schools that offered well-roundededucation. Then came sophomore year, the second leg,the part of the race where you want to find your paceand settle into a groove. We started to understand thecore values of faith, integrity, and scholarship. We wereoffered opportunities to use our talents and gifts to ben-efit others, and began to open our eyes to the truth thatSaint John Baptist de La Salle realized: it is our responsi-bility to help our brothers and sisters in need.

The third leg of any race is about getting yourself inposition to finish. It’s easy to go flat on the third leg, butit’s important to keep on pushing. Junior year isacknowledged as the most difficult year of high school,and the most important when it comes to college admis-sions. When the grind of junior year began to wear onme, I had to remind myself to keep going. On any track,however, the end of the third leg is when you can startto hear the shouts of the crowd in the stands, motivatingyou to continue. Watching last year’s graduation, I pic-tured myself up on the stage, my brothers sitting in the

seats beside me, and my family sittingthere. The image refreshed me andfilled me with new enthusiasm.

And then the finish line began todraw closer. Our first sight of it wasin late summer, when we came backto campus to take graduation photos.Then came events like Kairos andSenior Ball, that brought us closer asa school community, as brothers,motivating one another to keep onpushing and make it to the finish.Winter break was the halfway point

of the final leg, andthat’s when it hit usthat we really werealmost done.

And now thetime is here. Wehave reached thefinish line. The raceis over, and we fin-ished strong, mybrothers. So, in thespirit of racing, leanthrough the finishline.

As with anyother race or chal-

lenge, we may not be totally satisfiedwith the outcome. College acceptanc-es may or may not have gone in ourfavor. But regardless of whether ornot we ran the race perfectly, we mustall understand that there are going tobe more races to come. What mattersmost is that we all remain hopefuland confident that we can work to bevictorious in our future races, throughcollege and beyond. We will do thisby learning from our past, beingaware of our present, and fashioningour own futures.

So – lace up your shoes, set yourblocks, and get ready, my brothers.Our next race starts now.

— An excerpt from the 2011 salutatoryaddress by Anthony Dominguez

Salutatorian Anthony Vincent Dominguez ’11 is attending the University of Arizona

10 UNION FALL 2011

campus news

Fully half of the fifty states of the Union will be feeling the Spartanspirit in the fall of 2011. Class of 2011 graduates entering four-yearcolleges will betake themselves to 24 states in addition toCalifornia, and the list of schools welcoming our grads rangesfrom A almost to Z – with Academy of Art University in SanFrancisco heading the alphabetical list and York College inNebraska rounding it off. Eighty-three percent of the class (213seniors) will be attending four-year institutions: 127 of themare pursuing their studies in California, at 20 public schoolsand 12 private schools; and 86 of them will scatter across thecountry, to 23 public and 21 private schools. The map showsthe number of De La Salle grads that each state is adding toits college population this fall.

Some Facts about the New Alumni: There are 257 studentsin the graduating class. Of those, 252 will be at colleges,universities, or two-year colleges; of the other five graduates,one will serve in the military, one will attend a technicalschool; one will do a gap-year service program, one is pursu-ing an apprenticeship, and one is undecided at this writing.Students applied to an average of 7.3 schools each and had anaverage acceptance rate of 64 percent. The college acceptancesof the Class of 2011 continue a pattern of consistent success,confirming that De La Salle graduates are highly competitivewith their peers when applying to institutions of higher learning.

Honors and More Honors: High honors (GPA of 3.5 and above)were earned by 99 seniors (39 percent of the class), and honors(GPA of 3.0 to 3.49) were earned by 69 seniors (27 percent of theclass). Thirty seniors (12 percent of the class) were recruited for ath-letics scholarships at four-year schools, and at least 70 grads (27 percentof the class) received other types of merit scholarships.

Unmix and Match:Below, there are eight schools in the left column and eight numbers in the rightcolumn. Can you match the correct number of 2011 grads with the school thatthey will be attending?

California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo 6California State University at Chico 7Loyola Marymount University 9Oregon State University 9Saint Mary’s College of California 10Santa Clara University 14University of Arizona 15University of California at Los Angeles 17

The correct answer can be found in the Gulf of Mexico – or, anyway, on page 11.

Congratulations, Class of 2011. God be with you on your journeys.

2

3

6

127

2

120

6

1

13

4

19

Class of 2011: Spreading

FALL 2011 UNION 11

1

5

1

2

2

1

34

4

1

1

1

11

1

Spartan Spirit Across the Land

Answer to question from page 10How many Spartans are going to each school?

California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo = 14California State University at Chico = 15Loyola Marymount University = 9Oregon State University = 7

Saint Mary’s College of California = 10Santa Clara University = 9University of Arizona = 17University of California at Los Angeles = 6

campus news

12 UNION FALL 2011

campus news

As reported in the Spring 2011 Union, our sopho-mores in Honors Biology went to the 2011Contra Costa County Science and Engineering

Fair with a number of superb projects and took manyawards. Nic Paz’s project, which investigated how coralreefs are endangered by pollution from a sedative com-monly put in the water to make tropical fish more easilycollectable and transportable, was awarded a GrandSweepstakes Prize. But the project by Matthew Garcia –“Designing and Building a Mobile ReconnaissanceRobot” -- caught the eye of some foreign visitors, andtheir approval won Matt a prize from the GoetheInstitut: He is taking an all-expenses-paid nine-day tripto Germany in September to visit famous science schoolsand research institutes. Matt and four other studentsfrom the U.S. will also tour the Augustburg Castle, theAhr River, Cologne’s cathedral, and other sights.

Matt’s scientific bent is constructive. “I’ve alwaysliked building things,” he says, “from Legos as a kid onup. And I like remote control. For this project, I putthose together, making a robot with video capability on aremote-control car chassis, the kind of device that canprecede humans into unsafe situations and gather crucialinformation.” The classy metalwork that he did at homewith a few simple tools is impressive (see photos). IsMatt nervous about traveling? “No, it should be great. Idon’t speak any German, but I know that most of thepeople I’ll be meeting speak English.” He did express oneconcern about the trip: with a full load of courses thatincludes Honors Chemistry this junior year, he says, “Ineed to make sure that while I’m gone I keep up with myhomework.”

And speaking of homework, see the article below….

Sophomore Scholar Takes a German Journey

HOMEWORK: Boon or Bane? De La Salle Speaks Up

The English call it “prep,” which sounds both mildand shrewd: it’s just a getting ready. The Frenchcall it “devoir,” meaning “duty,” which sounds

solemn and even noble. But we Americans call it “home-work.” The name seems to spoil the pleasant thought of“home” by tacking “work” onto it, and rather empha-sizes the laborious quality of the enterprise.

Whatever you call it, it is an urgent concern for edu-cators: What part does it play in a student's progress, afamily's life, and a school's mission? How much home-work, what sort, and when, and why? In May 2011, theCatholic high schools of the Oakland Diocese were askedto take part in a survey on homework as part of a dioce-san project on pedagogy. The data will be part of the dis-cussion in a conference on September 23 at De La SalleHigh School, when some 600 local Catholic educators

will come together to focus on assessment. A report onthat will be forthcoming. What we can report already,however, is the energetic response of the De La Sallecommunity – students, parents, and teachers alike -- tothis opportunity to improve our educational practices.Throughout the diocese, the Homework Survey wascompleted by 2,437 students, of which 624 are from DeLa Salle; by 1,381 parents, of which 658 are from De LaSalle; and by 300 teachers, of which 55 are from De LaSalle. All three DLS groups took the opportunity to offercomments with their multiple-choice answers, creating arich set of data that will aid us and our colleagues todevelop best practices. Those are still to come, but onefact is not in doubt: Do our students, parents, and teach-ers take scholarship seriously?The evidence says resound-ingly, yes.

The Man The Method The Machine

FALL 2011 UNION 13

campus news

When some-body is hav-ing a great

time we like to say “he’shaving a field day.” Thephrase originally referredto a military body goingthrough outdoor drills,but has come to be usedto denote any occasionof big fun. Fun is just what De La Salle had onMay 25 with its annual Field Day. If we say thatthe campus was transformed into a kind of play-ground for giant kindergarteners, with fun housesand obstacle courses and slides of colorful vinylpumped full of air, in which whooping and holler-ing and slipping and sliding were not only permissi-

ble but, in fact, were mandatory, we meanno disrespect to the mature and studious

young men of De La Salle. Instructed toput away their books for at least one

day, the students graciously acqui-esced and seemed to have a good

time. As the photos indicate, theField Day was a wet one, as the

spring of 2011 took the occa-sion to finish off the school

year by dumping its finalload of unseasonable rain-

water on the fun-lovingSpartans.

When ScholarshipTakes a Holiday

14 UNION FALL 2011

Cost-saving and tree-saving come together every sum-mer when the Bookstore sorts its thousands of books.Books in good condition remain, while damaged orunneeded books are sold back to Follett Co. Most willbe rebound and offered for sale as used, and those thathave reached the end of their useful life will be shred-ded and the salvaged paper applied to other uses.Way to go green, Spartans!

Spartan Bookstore Welcomes New Staff

Longtime Bookstore managers Lisa Fuller and Belinda Hudkinsannounced late in 2010 that they would retire in June 2011 (seetheir profile in the Winter 2011 Union). Taking on the job of

Manager is Alison McNell, who says, “I was closing up my own home-based business doing graphic design and printing, and I wanted to findsomething that would combine all the things I like to do: the creativeand design side, the marketing side, and the systems management side.”Systems management? Yes, the soft-spoken mother of four was a systemsanalyst for Goldman Sachs for a number of years.

An Antioch resident, Alison is a native of Lancashire in northwestEngland, and some of the distinctive and agreeable accent of her nativecounty can still be heard in her speech. Alison says that after graduatingfrom college in England she was on her way to see the world when shechanced to meet – in romantic Orinda, California – an American namedThomas McNell, who was an equities trader. After marrying, Alison andTom spent five years in London, then moved back to the States and toAntioch in 1991.

The McNells have sent all four of their sons to De La Salle HighSchool. Richard ’03 is a U.S. Air Force officer, as is his wife. Samuel ’08has followed in Richard’s footsteps and is a cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. Jack ’09 is a nursing studentat the University of Portland with plans to go on to medical school. And youngest son Bradley is in the Class of 2012.

“I love De La Salle and this community,” says Alison, “and I’m very glad to be here every day, making a contribu-tion. “ Coming on to complete the new staff are assistant managers Carolyn Bender and Catherine Jacques.

Out with the old...

...in with the new...

Recycle That Knowledge!

...and another studious year begins.

Alison McNell, Spartan bookstore manager

FALL 2011 UNION 15

campus news

Learn skills, get fit, make friends, have fun. That’s what the 8- to 14-year-olds who take part in sports camps on our campus each June do.But they are doing more than that. The low fees they pay for the

camps combine to add up to a cutting-edge way to fund our Bishop John S.Bishop Cummins Scholarship Program. Among the recommendations froma “financial summit meeting” for Catholic schools in Chicago this year was“Find new partners for revenue enhancement.” De La Salle has done exactlythat with the Speratus Winery project (for that story, see page 16). Anothertip was “Establish summer camps as a revenue source.” De La Salle is aheadof that curve, and our Summer Sports Camps, now in their third year, arebecoming a local fixture. Featuring lots of volunteer time and expertinstruction by our coaches and students, the camps offer nine athletic areas.Enrollment has grown from 175 to more than 600, and the net funds raisedhave nearly quadrupled. All profits go to the Bishop Cummins Program forour lowest-income families. Athletic Director Leo Lopoz says, “We’re verypleased with the results, and grateful to all the people who staff the campsand make them the success they are.” For complete information, go towww.dlshs.org/athletics.

BETTER EVERY

SUMMERSummer 2011 on campus would have delighted any toddler

with a favorite toy truck, because all summer it was big boys’

toys galore, hauling in the generators, pumps, saws, drills,

wood, metal, wire, concrete, fixtures, and everything else on

the school’s list of upgrades. Summer was a chance to watch

masters of their crafts: the deft teamwork of head custodian

Tony Moore and maintenance chief Russ Probst as they laid a

flawless coat of wax on the vast floor of the Hofmann Student

Center; the precision of Jay Juarez’s Information Technology

crew as they scurried all over campus to get their list of tests,

upgrades, and installations done right and on time.

The Summer 2011 Facilities Improvements include:

Renovate and resurface the track and field facilities. -

Renovate the toilet facilities in the 100 and 200 wings. -

Purchase and install 272 new classroom desks. - Replace

computers, including an additional laptop cart and additional

Netbooks. - Complete wireless network throughout campus

and do network upgrades. - Refinish gym floor, and clean

and polish Hofmann Center floors. - Paint throughout cam-

pus. - Improve selected areas of landscaping. - Empty,

clean, and restore all classrooms; repair and refurbish class-

rooms as needed.

Athletic camps for kids fund Spartan scholarships for low-income families

New Wine in

16 UNION FALL 2011

De La Salle is harnessing the power of fermentation to “expandthe hourglass” and keep education accessible and affordable.

Wine. It is the miracle of fermentation. Jesusdemonstrated a mastery of it at the weddingparty in Cana, and at another banquet Jesus

issued a famous caution about new wine and old wine-skins. When yeast devours the sugar in grape juice, theproduct is alcohol and the byproduct is carbon dioxidegas. Now, if the gas expands beyond the elasticity of thecontainer – well, as Jesus pointed out, the wineskinbursts and the wine is lost. Since Jesus’ time, we havechanged our containers of choice from goatskins to glassbottles, but many a home winemaker with a scarlet-stained garage floor can tell you that the same powerthat could burst an ancient wineskin canalso pop a cork or crack a bottle.

Now think, if you will, of the notorioushourglass figure that we often use to repre-sent the squeeze on families of ordinarymeans who seek Catholic high school edu-cation for their children. At the top of thehourglass are the better-off families (thosewho can pay the tuition in full) and at thebottom are the worse-off families (thosewho can qualify for major financial aid).But in the middle, the constricted middle,are the families of ordinary income, who areincreasingly being priced out of Catholiceducation. What force can counter that constriction?How do we expand the pinched waist of that hourglassuntil the container has the straight sleek sides of some-thing that looks more like, say, a wine bottle?

Perhaps an actual wine bottle will help to do it. Thisis our latest report on De La Salle High School’s projectof applying the power of fermentation to the expansionof educational opportunity.

De La Salle’s Commitment to the Poorand the Middle ClassDe La Salle is one of 11 high schools in the District ofSan Francisco, the westernmost province of the De LaSalle Christian Brothers. Since 2000, the District hasfounded three new schools to serve poorer neighbor-hoods. Two are “corporate internship” high schools onthe Cristo Rey model (De La Salle North Catholic HighSchool in Portland, Oregon, and San Miguel HighSchool in Tucson, Arizona) and one is a middle schoolin the Tenderloin district of San Francisco (De MarillacAcademy, co-sponsored by the Daughters of Charity). At

the same time, the District’s nine other highschools (in California, Oregon, andWashington) are responding to a mandate toensure that at least 5 percent of their studentscome from families of very low income (185%of the federal poverty level).

In an era when some Catholic schoolsare closing and tuition is always rising, this isa complex commitment for Lasallian educa-tors. Mark DeMarco, the president of De LaSalle High School, says, “When your commit-ment to educating the poor grows, your com-mitment to avoiding a squeeze-out of the mid-dle class must also grow. The need for finan-

cial aid for families across the income spectrum grows,and a school’s funding must grow to allow it to fulfillthese fundamental commitments. We ask ourselves con-stantly: How do we keep this education affordable andaccessible? And, how do we fund the mission on a sus-tainable basis?”

To fulfill its 5 percent mandate, De La Salle has cre-ated a scholarship program that responds creatively to

New Wineskins

the needs of students whose domestic situations are dif-ficult and unconventional. People sometimes assumethat the suburban Bay Area is largely populated by theprivileged, but the latest census data show that inContra Costa County more than 13 percent of the chil-dren under age 18 are living below the poverty line, andthe number of families in poverty has been increasing.“There is a genuine need, right in our own backyard,”says DeMarco.

Success Through Mutual Commitmentby School and FamilyDe La Salle’s 5 percent program has been named TheBishop John S. Cummins Scholarship Program, in honorof the bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Oakland. TheBishop Cummins Program includes intensive outreach tofeeder schools and a thorough interview process toensure that prospective students and their parents are ascommitted to achieving a college-preparatory educationas the school is to providing it. There is a dedicatedProgram Coordinator on staff, support services areavailable, and the program has a fund that helps stu-dents with the miscellaneous costs of a normal highschool experience. The nearly 50 Bishop CumminsScholars are thoroughly mainstreamed into the studentcommunity, and the program in its fully elaborated ver-sion completed its third year of operation in June 2011.The results: One hundred percent of the BishopCummins Scholars in these senior classes have gone onto college, and the class of 2010 valedic-torian was a Bishop Cummins Scholar.At all grade levels, the Bishop CumminsScholars have grade point averages andco-curricular participation rates that arenearly on par with those of the studentbody at large.

Last year the budget for the 50-stu-dent Bishop Cummins Program was$698,000, with $600,000 for tuitionassistance, $45,000 for additional studentexpenses, and $53,000 for operationalexpenses. Faced with this continuingmandate, DeMarco set himself a cleargoal: “If we can develop sustainable funding for theBishop Cummins Program, we will benefit the wholecommunity. Every dollar we can raise specifically for theBishop Cummins Program will free up another dollarelsewhere that can be made available to families with less-er levels of need.” And there are many such families: Lastyear, when tuition and fees totaled $14,400 per student,nearly 30 percent of De La Salle families received some

level of aid, and the total financial aid distributed exceeded $2 million.

Thinking Outside the Box and Inside the Barrel Mark DeMarco is an alumnus of the class of 1978, andin early 2010 he and fellow alum Kelly Trevethan ’81were talking about how to create a stable funding plat-form for the Bishop Cummins Program. Trevethan is afinancial advisor based in San Francisco and a devotedsupporter of the school. He is also one of the owners ofAlpha Omega Winery in Rutherford, a small wineryfounded in 2006 that is making a big reputation.“Kelly,” DeMarco said, “can you make money sellingwine?” “You certainly can,” replied Trevethan, and hisnimble financial brain went into overdrive. Soon the two

men were thinking outside the box andinside the barrel.

Occasionally you see a fundraiser thatinvolves wine sales, when a friendly mer-chant agrees to donate some portion of prof-its to a school. But the idea vinted byTrevethan and DeMarco was new and bold:Establish a new winery, new label, and newproducts, a new business that would serveDe La Salle’s financial aid effort exclusivelybut which the school would neither own noroperate. Plans were drawn up for a virtualwinery, with sales online, and a royaltyschedule under which 75 percent of proceeds

are directed to the Bishop Cummins ScholarshipProgram and 25 percent goes back into the business forthe production of future vintages. To make this idea areality, Trevethan enlisted professional associates to con-tribute their expertise and services at discounted rates,and was able to piggy-back the creation of the virtualwinery’s offerings onto the production process of hisbrick-and-mortar winery in the Napa Valley.

FALL 2011 UNION 17

advancement news

Kelly Trevethan and Jean Hoefliger atAlpha Omega Winery in Rutherford

18 UNION FALL 2011

advancement news

The Vintage Where the Grapes of Hope Are StoredWe first announced the creation of Speratus Winery inthe Fall 2010 issue of the Union. The name Speratus(speh-RAH-toose) comes from the Latin sperare (“tohope”). The inaugural Speratus releases were inNovember 2010: a cabernet sauvignon and a sauvignonblanc, as well as a late harvest Riesling dessert wine. Atruly spartan marketing plan (pardon the De La Sallepun) called for no retail outlets and no paid advertising.Instead, the wines have been featured at school func-tions, promoted in the Union, announced in news releas-es, and brought to the attention of local restaurateurs.The April 2011 Diablo magazine picked up the story andheadlined an item on its food page “Good Cheers:Wine for a Cause,” reporting that Speratus Winery“donates all proceeds to De La Salle High School’slow-income scholarship program. Wines are made byacclaimed Napa winemaker Jean Hoefliger—so youcan enjoy, and feel good about, every sip.”

Jean Hoefliger (OOF-lee-gher), Alpha Omega’s inter-nationally known winemaker, personally oversees thenew products. The cognoscenti know his name, andwine-lovers grasp that, in addition to its other virtues,the Speratus label means a chance to buy Hoefligerwines at a fraction of the cost of his better-known prod-ucts. Hoefliger is the father of two boys, and he says,“Education today is the solution to 90 percent of soci-ety’s problems. Teachers hold the key, because they helpyoung people to explore their possibilities and find theirvocation. I’m so pleased to be associated with theSperatus project for De La Salle. This wine is abouthope, and hope is the fuel of life.” Kelly Trevethan sayssimply, “Going to De La Salle High School, I was taughtthe importance of giving back to the community, andSperatus wine is about giving kids an educational oppor-tunity they would not otherwise have.”

New Wines, New Bottles, New CustomersA journey begins with a single step, and a new winerybegins with an appropriate amount of production. Thefirst year’s target was no more than 100 cases of sauvi-gnon blanc and 300 cases of cabernet sauvignon. At thiswriting more than half of the sauvignon blanc and about50 cases of the cabernet sauvignon have been sold.Twenty restaurants, including a Ruth's Chris SteakHouse, now serve Speratus, and these businesses areprojected to need an additional 70 cases of the cabernetper year. The indefatigable Kelly Trevethan has dozensmore restaurants in his sights, and says, “We are defi-nitely off to a good start.” As to price points: The white

wine is priced at $15 a bottle and the red at $50 (from awinemaker whose well-known reds sell, and sell out, atthree times that price).

Mark DeMarco has set an ambitious goal for thiswine of hope: “We would like to see the business growso that in five years’ time the annual proceeds willamount to a million dollars.” To echo again, in respect-ful paraphrase, a saying of Jesus: The harvest is great,and the laborers in this vineyard are top-notch. It wouldnot be a miracle, though it would be a great blessing, ifthe hope that Speratus Winery represents is indeed fulfilled.

Join in the Ferment!What can you do? If you are looking for a greatThanksgiving or Christmas gift, for family, friends,employees, or professional associates, or simply want afine wine for your table or cellar, the Speratus 2008Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Sauvignon Blanc wouldfit the bill, as would a slender bottle of the 2008 lateharvest Riesling dessert wine. Discount pricing for bulkpurchases may be available for restaurants, businesses,and nonprofit groups. Join in the ferment! Visitwww.speratuswinery.com for tasting notes and completeinformation. If you are traveling to the Napa Valley, atasting of Speratus wines may be arranged in advance atAlpha Omega Winery in Rutherford. Telephone 415-286-7750 or e-mail Ktrevethan@speratuswinery.com.

A different version of this article appears in the

September/October 2011 issue of Momentum, the journal of

the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). The

journal is available at www.ncea.org.

Winemaker Jean Hoefliger

“Ninety percent of the work is done by God,and I try to do the other ten percent.”

100 Percent in 100 Days Starts Now!We have a dream: That 100 percent of the De La Salle parent community

will contribute to the Annual Fund this year. Last year nearly 55 percent ofcurrent parents joined in, and our goal is to increase that to a never beforeachieved 100 percent participation in the next 100 days.Why is 100 percent important? It is important in itself, as crucial financial

support, and as a bond of union among us. But it is also important forwhat it tells the world. When De La Salle looks outside its own communityfor support – to foundations and philanthropists – every outside donorlooks to see if the school is thriving, well-managed, and truly valued bythose who are closest to it. Nothing is a stronger sign of that valuationthan this full participation – and even a small gift counts toward a 100 percent participation.What is the Annual Fund? The Annual Fund helps to pay for such critical priorities as student co-curricular pro-

grams, faculty development, and financial aid, and is a source of benefits to every student. The cost of a De La Salleeducation is not covered completely by tuition, and the gap between the actual cost and the tuition charged is about$1,650 per student this year. The Annual Fund is the bridge over that gap. The campaign kicks off September 14, andthrough mailings, phonathons, and other communications we will work tirelessly to achieve our goal. Parents: Use the next 100 days to make your gift. Traditionally, parents are encouraged to make an annual gift of

$1,500, which virtually closes the tuition gap, and which gives them membership in The President’s Circle. However,even a small gift to the Annual Fund has value beyond its size. To make a gift, or to know more, contact Karla Wiese,Director of Development, at 925-288-8195 or wiesek@dlshs.org.

Bridge the gap? What is the gap?

THE GAP$1,650 per student x 1,000 students

Over $1,650,000 Annually

FALL 2011 UNION 19

You are cordially invited toDe La Salle High School’s

Sunday, October 9, 20116:00 p.m.

Diablo Country Club1700 Club House Road

Diablo, CA

$55 per person(includes hosted Bar from 6-6:30 p.m. and dinner buffet)

Cocktail Attire

RSVP by September 26, 2011

advancement news

Information: Beth Garland at (925)288-8184 or email garlandb@dlshs.org

2012 Bacchanalia • A Taste of De La Salle

Register online at www.dlshs.org/support/events or contact Beth Garland at garlandb@dlshs.org or (925)288-8184.

Benefiting student financial aidat De La Salle

Alumni Honor Roll of Donors(July 1, 2010 — June 30, 2011)

Anonymous (5)

Reverend LaSalle Hallissy OP '69Mr. and Mrs. James G. Moffitt '69Mr. Steven A. Mury '69Mr. Gary L. Weberling '69

Mr. William Fahey '70 and Ms. Val Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald S. Ginochio '70Mr. and Mrs. Leonard W. Gollnick III '70Mr. and Mrs. Stephen C. Imhof '70Mr. and Mrs. James M. McCaughey '70Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Montgomery '70Mr. Robert C. Sausedo '70

Mr. and Mrs. David Benedetti '71Mr. Robert M. Milliff RCP '71

Dr. and Mrs. Mark W. Majesky '72Mr. Edward L. Thompson '72

Mr. and Mrs. Steven A. De Young '73Dr. and Mrs. Gregory A. Gagnon '73Mr. and Mrs. T. D. Gross '73Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Keenan '73Mr. Rick E. Koch '73Mr. and Mrs. David A. Ramey '73Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Shoemaker '73Mr. and Mrs. Dwight E. Sory '73Mr. and Mrs. Stephen F. Spiller '73Mr. and Mrs. Roger F. Stanfill '73Mr. and Mrs. James J. Metzger '73Mr. and Mrs. Randall J. Cava '74Mr. Andrew C. Johnson '74Mr. Joseph B. Kearney '74Mr. and Mrs. Craig P. Schoenthaler '74Mr. and Mrs. Louis S. Zocchi '74

Mr. Stephen D. Coghlan '75Mr. and Mrs. Donald M. DeRosa '75Mr. Mark A. Del Beccaro '75

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond P. Donahue '75Mr. and Mrs. John S. Erman '75Mr. and Mrs. Scott J. Pursley '75Mr. and Mrs. James P. Rankin '75Mr. and Mrs. Brian K. Sullivan, Ph.D. '75Mr. David J. Van Hoomissen '75Mr. and Mrs. Eduardo Quintero '75

Mr. Michael J. Cashman '76Mr. and Mrs. George C. Driscoll '76Mr. and Mrs. Michael V. Mineart '76Mr. and Mrs. James G. Olwell '76Mr. Victor D. Perez '76Mr. Christopher A. Hood-Rosales '76

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Baldacci '77Mr. and Mrs. Timothy M. Bredbenner '77Mr. Joseph L. Garaventa '77Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Lawton, Jr. '77Mr. and Mrs. James P. Mayer '77Mr. and Mrs. Paul N. Turner '77Mr. J. K. Young '77

Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Cavallero '78Mr. James J. Coghlan '78Mr. and Mrs. Mark J. DeMarco '78Mr. and Mrs. John D. DeMatteo CPA '78Mr. Michael L. Lynch '78Mr. and Mrs. John L. Piombo '78Mr. Brian M. Serafino '78Mr. and Mrs. Gregory S. Spyrow '78

Mr. William P. DePaschalis '79Mr. and Mrs. David A. Lentz '79Mr. and Mrs. Frederick R. Skillman, Jr. '79Mr. and Mrs. Rick P. Steeb '79Mr. and Mrs. Daniel R. Wanket '79

Mr. and Mrs. Albert A. Amador III '80Mr. and Mrs. Christopher J. Balog '80Mr. and Mrs. Dennis A. Camera '80Mr. and Mrs. Matthew D. Castello '80

Mr. Mark V. Christian '80Mr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Gerhards '80Mr. and Mrs. John K. Hanecak '80Brother Jack Henderson, FSC '80Mr. Robert M. Hopfner '80Mr. and Mrs. Gregory P. Lafayette '80Mr. and Mrs. Stephen W. Lambert '80Mr. and Mrs. Duane P. Lamoureux '80Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. McNiff '80Mr. and Mrs. Patrick M. Micheletti '80Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Pauline '80Cdr. (Ret.) and Mrs. Edward A. Robertson,

Jr. '80Mr. and Mrs. Keith T. Schuler '80Brother Kevin M. Slate, FSC '80Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Souza '80Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Young '80

Mr. Christopher J. Crespi '81Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. DePole, Jr. '81Mr. and Mrs. William F. Fuller '81Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Guelld '81Mr. and Mrs. David J. Logan '81Mr. David P. Rosselli '81Mr. and Mrs. John E. White '81Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Wilson '81Mr. and Mrs. John L. Ewins '81

Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Amador '82Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Brasiel '82Mr. Paul Chahin '82

and Ms. Leslie Guerrero-ChahinMr. and Mrs. John F. Doyle '82Mr. and Mrs. James H. Francis '82Mr. and Mrs. Andrew L. Gartner '82Mr. and Mrs. Jamie G. Hargrave '82Mr. and Mrs. Scott K. Hirsch '82Mr. John P. Hopfner '82Mr. and Mrs. Mark P. Irving '82Mr. and Mrs. Virginius N. Miller '82Mr. Arthur R. Miner '82Mr. Shawn I. Pekari '82

Our alumni were offered a challenge for the 2010-11 school year. We askedthat they stand up and be counted by making a gift to the De La SalleAnnual Fund to benefit the students. In the National Catholic

Educational Association’s publication Dollars and Sense, it is reported that on theaverage 14% of alumni/ae contribute to their school’s annual fund. While ouralumni may not have met the national average, alumni participation increased from5.07% in 2009-10 to 6.85% in 2010-11. This is a 30% increase from the previous year!

We cannot thank our alumni enough for your continued support of our school and students. Our goal isto continue to build on our progress with alumni, and we hope we can count on your participation in theAnnual Fund for the 2011-12 school year.

20 UNION FALL 2011

alumni news

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Mr. and Mrs. David A. Poirier '82Mr. and Ms. Mark E. Ricco '82Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Ross '82Mr. and Mrs. William B. Schreeder III '82Mr. and Mrs. Marc E. Singer '82Mr. and Mrs. Christopher W. Sweeney '82

Mr. and Mrs. Steven M. Abreu '83Mr. and Mrs. Victor Belfiore III '83Mr. Christopher S. Bruzza '83Mr. and Mrs. David M. Cuddihy '83Mr. and Mrs. John L. Cumbelich '83Mr. and Mrs. Darrell J. Di Giovanni '83Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Engelhart '83Mr. John Francis '83

and Ms. Susanne Meline Mr. Robert D. Glynn III '83Mr. Jeffrey P. Gray '83Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Hare '83Mr. and Mrs. Brian J. Henderson '83Mr. Michael P. Hooke '83Mr. and Mrs. Wayne R. Jarrett '83Mr. and Mrs. Patrick O. Oswald '83Mr. and Mrs. Brian C. Peters '83Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Pugh '83Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey E. Roderick '83Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Schneider '83Mr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Schoenthaler '83Mr. and Mrs. Raymond F.

Saint Germain '83

Mr. and Mrs. Sean R. Edgar '84Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hinckley '84Mr. Michael R. Kalweit '84Mr. Michael G. Kelley '84Mr. and Mrs. Peter J. Knoedler '84Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Loscavio '84Mr. Eric J. Mercer '84Mr. and Mrs. Vincent J. Palm '84Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Rodriguez '84Dr. Michael Twomey J. Rubino III '84Mr. and Mrs. Timothy L. Whitlow '84

Mr. and Mrs. Julius W. Allen '85Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas L. Capurro, Jr. '85Dr. and Mrs. Jason R. Clark '85Mr. and Mrs. Carlos P. DeMelo '85Mr. Michael B. Denney '85Mr. Alejandro O. Fernandez '85Mr. and Mrs. Christopher O. Fry '85Mr. Walter H. Hagge '85Mr. and Mrs. Stephen G. Krochmal, Jr. '85Mr. and Mrs. Matthew M. Laiolo '85Mr. Sean T. McCarthy '85Mr. and Mrs. Douglas P. Renner '85Mr. Jeffrey Shepard '85

and Ms. Della Martinez Mr. and Mrs. Timothy A. Stratmeyer '85Mr. and Mrs. Alan J. Vernon II '85Mr. Christopher Wiggins '85Mr. Andrew J. Williams '85

Mr. Scott Baptist '86 and Mrs. Wendy Hickman-Baptist

Dr. and Mrs. Christopher M. Belisle '86Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Bianchina, Jr. '86Mr. and Mrs. Kent L. Camera '86Mr. and Mrs. Timothy C. Ladouceur '86Mr. Gregg J. Chavaria '86Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Giorgi Jr. '86Mr. Timothy E. Grewis '86Mr. and Mrs. Sean R. Jordan '86Mr. and Mrs. George R. Lotti, Jr. '86Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Lynch '86Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Malone II '86Mr. Louis M. Mangini '86Mr. and Mrs. Randy A. McCann '86Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Nevares '86Mr. and Mrs. Peter R. Palm '86Mr. and Mrs. Timothy D. Robison '86Sgt. William V. Roche '86Lt. and Mrs. Laurence F. Ryan '86Mr. and Mrs. Antonio L. Vernon '86Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Walsh '86

Mr. Roderick M. Alemania '87Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Beauchamp '87Mr. Kevin T. Costello '87Mr. Eric J. Dinaburg '87Mr. Sean M. Dunleavy '87Mr. and Mrs. Kevin R. Francis '87Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Kannon '87Mr. and Mrs. Patrick C. Lofy '87Mr. and Mrs. Kent M. Mercer '87Mr. Douglas A. Paul '87Mr. and Mrs. John D. Pelster '87Mr. and Mrs. Keith A. Riley '87Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Salvemini '87Mr. and Mrs. Brook E. Serafino '87Mr. John P. Shoaff '87Mr. and Mrs. Millen L. Simpson III '87Mr. Jonathan D. Speaker '87Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. VanderKlugt '87Mr. Carlos R. Zapata ’87

Mr. Stephen Allio '88Mr. Robert J. Colvin, Jr. '88Mr. Robert H. Heaney '88Mr. and Mrs. James J. Hinckley '88Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Jordan '88Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lezcano '88Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Mullane '88Dr. and Mrs. Michael W. Ottati, Jr. '88Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Pauline '88Mr. Craig Pruski '88Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Roberts '88Mr. and Mrs. Davor Skaric '88Mr. Michael R. Testa '88Mr. Mark Van Slambrook '88

and Ms. Krista FlynnMr. Ivan B. Vela '88Mr. and Mrs. Michael Velasco '88Mr. Gregory Velasquez '88Mr. Steven Young '88

Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. Allio '89Mr. Christopher H. Barry '89Mr. and Mrs. Douglas R. Brien '89

Mr. and Mrs. Christian N. Curry '89Mr. Victor M. DeMelo '89Mr. and Mrs. Louis F. Donati III '89Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Gargaro '89Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey R. Glanville '89Mr. John Hauser '89

and Ms. Karman KoMr. Sean Lenihan '89

and Ms. Jennifer Brody Mr. and Mrs. Dominick G. Mazotti '89Mr. Michael D. McGrath '89Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Southard '89

Mr. Christopher L. Clinch '90Mr. Matthew J. Clizbe '90Mr. Kevin P. Dolan '90Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Freeman '90Mr. Andrew T. Gaglione '90Mr. Robert L. Kroha, Jr. '90Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Kuhl, Jr. '90Mr. and Mrs. Christopher McClaughry '90Mr. and Mrs. Craig J. Mercer '90Mr. and Mrs. Richard Q. Romero '90Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey A. Southard '90Mr. Brian C. Vest '90Mr. Anthony G. Viscia '90Mr. Richard Graham '90

Mr. and Mrs. Sean L. Burke '91Mr. Matthew S. Kamp '91Mr. John B. Marke '91Mr. and Mrs. Daniel A. Panella '91Mr. and Mrs. Nick V. Pelosi '91Mr. Anthony M. Phipps '91Mr. and Mrs. Kevin M. Selby '91Mr. and Mrs. Rommel Q. Torres '91Mr. and Mrs. Michael V. Kelly, Jr. '91

Mr. Ryan M. Christie '92Mr. Matthew B. Clay '92Mr. Jeff Cortez '92Mr. and Mrs. Brendan P. Galloway '92Mr. and Mrs. Andrew W. McDowell '92Dr. and Mrs. John P. Schilling MD '92Mr. and Mrs. Brian E. Wachowicz '92Mr. and Mrs. Marc C. Bacsafra '93Mr. David T. Byrne '93Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Curran '93Mr. Andrew L. Freeman '93Mr. Daniel W. Gagen '93Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Molloy '93

Mr. and Mrs. Dalton C. Brown '94Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Cerda '94Mr. and Mrs. Chris P. Del Santo '94Mr. and Mrs. Scott J. Drain '94Mr. Richard A. Enea '94Mr. and Mrs. Anthony D. Frakes '94Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Fullmore '94Mr. and Mrs. Christopher A. Gaber '94Mr. Neil A. Hagge '94Mr. Joshua W. Halsey '94Mr. and Mrs. Christopher J. Hintz '94Mr. Mikel K. Hyatt '94

Alumni Honor Roll of Donors (continured on page 22).

FALL 2011 UNION 21

alumni news

22 UNION FALL 2011

alumni news

Mr. Jason R. Jones '94Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin A. Kamp '94Mr. and Mrs. Leo C. Lopoz '94Mr. Christopher T. Mack '94Mr. Matt Malone '94Mr. Sean P. Mass '94Mr. and Mrs. Matthew J. McCarthy '94Mr. Michael F. McKay II '94Mr. Chris C. Molinaro '94Mr. and Mrs. Patrick W. O'Keefe '94Mr. Eric J. Quinn '94Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd V. Schine III '94

Mr. Joseph D. DeFalco '95Mr. Neil R. Gagen '95Mr. Drew C. Hodson '95Mr. James M. Neudecker '95Mr. Don D. E. St. Ana '95Mr. and Mrs. Anthony R. Washmera '95

Mr. Paul N. Adler '96Mr. D. Gregory G. Hintz '96Dr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Irving '96Mr. Kevin P. Marchetti '96Mr. Demian I. Oksenendler '96Mr. and Mrs. Jason A. Ovadia '96Mr. and Mrs. Roberto P. Santos '96Mr. Mawuko Tugbenyoh '96

and Ms. Cristal Gahagan

Mr. David A. Adler '97Mr. and Mrs. Brett J. Anderson '97Mr. Matthew T. Barry '97Mr. and Mrs. Sean P. Bristol '97Mr. Greg G. Brown-Davis '97Mr. Jordan A. Casella '97Mr. Thomas A. Coughlan '97Mr. Harry J. Ein '97Mr. Jeremy S. Gabe '97Dr. Isiah D. Harris '97Mr. Gregory K. Henley '97Mr. Joseph K. Koller '97Mr. and Mrs. Gregory D. Krouse '97Mr. Sean D. Meenan '97Mr. Christopher N. Odne '97Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Palm '97Mr. Christopher C. Shelley '97Mr. Garrett M. Shelley '97Mr. Sean W. Tierney '97Mr. Christian S. Warrell '97

Mr. Justin E. Alumbaugh '98Mr. James W. Beall, Jr. '98Mr. David M. Brooks '98Mr. Nathan A. Burkhardt '98Mr. Michael D. Civello '98Mr. Hani S. Elia '98Mr. Colin N. Ensley '98Mr. Cortland L. Golightly '98Mr. Wesley J. Hodson '98Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Hogan '98Mr. Eric D. Lacy '98Mr. Jason M. Penarelli '98Mr. Donald S. Prosser '98Mr. and Mrs. Joshua J. Quintero CMT '98

Mr. Darren J. Salmi '98Mr. Louis J. Salvador '98Mr. Matthew R. Sansoe '98Mr. Jack T. Schultz '98Mr. Matthew C. Wersel '98Mr. Richard J. Whelan '98

Mr. Edward E. Massey '99Mr. Rene A. Poblete II '99

Mr. Brandon T. Broughton '00Mr. Conor W. Famulener '00Mr. David F. Greer '00Mr. Aaron J. Kuhle '00Mr. Anthony Scott M. Arthur '00Mr. Adam M. Pounds '00

Mr. Nicholas E. Andrade '01Mr. Scott M. Blasingame '01Mr. Peter M. Burns '01Mr. John A. Dominguez '01Mr. Brandon T. Field '01Mr. Erick Gonzalez '01Mr. Anthony W. McLennan '01Mr. Michael J. Sansoe '01

Mr. Kenneth T. Fujii '02Mr. Sean E. Halligan '02Mr. Erik L. Hanson '02Mr. Thomas P. Hayes '02Mr. Timothy A. Hodson '02Mr. Gregory Kosich '02 and Ms. Angelina

Adler Mr. William R. Lewis III '02Mr. Herbert D. Pease '02Mr. James S. Puccetti ’02Mr. James R. Roscelli '02Mr. Ian C. Tongol '02

Mr. Rogelio Avalos '03Mr. Kevin W. Bacharach '03Mr. Trenton M. F. Barmby '03Mr. Anthony J. Binswanger '03Mr. Sean R. Birtcil '03Mr. Allan C. Bushnell III '03Mr. Gregory M. Contreras '03Mr. Erich R. Faustman '03Mr. Anthony C. Infante III '03Mr. Thomas B. Johnson '03Mr. Gregory D. MacArthur '03Mr. Thomas J. Maddock '03Mr. Derek W. Pampe '03Mr. Stephen J. Wondolowski '03

Mr. Justin Argenal '04Mr. Kyle A. Balough '04Mr. Alexander H. Briner '04Mr. Nicholas C. Cipolla '04Mr. John Paul G. De La Vega '04Mr. Oliver Duda '04Mr. Anthony D. Fracchia '04Mr. Steven J. Fujimoto '04Mr. Marek W. Grobelny '04Mr. Peter J. Imsand '04Mr. John P. Kiper '04

Mr. Nathaniel T. Lovallo '04Mr. Brian J. Sargenti '04Mr. Anastasios P. Sotiropulos '04Mr. Drew C. Weir '04

Mr. John C. Bonnikson '05Mr. Joseph L. Depaoli '05Mr. Brian F. Dunican '05Mr. Robert A. Franceschi '05Mr. Scott W. Hugo '05Mr. Christopher S. M. Roldan '05Mr. Andrew W. Vetek '05Mr. Adam W. Ward '05

Mr. Carlos M. Amaya '06Mr. Michael V. Cipolla '06Mr. Marc A. Del Prete '06Mr. Daen J. Ekpa '06Mr. Lincoln D. Gunn '06Mr. Colin S. Niedermeyer '06Mr. Robert E. Pohl '06Mr. Marcus J. Schroeder '06Mr. Christopher B. Sotiropulos '06Mr. Jared R. Stankowski '06

Mr. Christopher J. Russi '07

Mr. Michael C. Haley '08Mr. Casey P. Keenan '08

Mr. Justin T. Clapp '09Mr. Nicholas W. Hudson '09

Mr. Cameron J. G. Hawkes '10Mr. James R. Logan '10Mr. Alexander S. Taylor '10

2010 – 2011 Alumni Event Sponsors(July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011)

Mr. Rick E. Koch '73Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Baldacci '77Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Lawton, Jr. '77Mr. and Mrs. David A. Poirier '82Mr. and Mrs. Steven M. Abreu '83Mr. and Mrs. James F. Baldacci '83Mr. James P. Brady '84Mr. and Mrs. James B. Aberer III '86Mr. and Mrs. Todd A. Scheid '89Mr. Jason C. Pauline '90Mr. Anthony G. Viscia '90Mr. David J. Patel '91Mr. and Mrs. Dalton C. Brown '94Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Fullmore '94Mr. Nicholas C. Cipolla '04

• • •De La Salle’s Alumni Honor Roll of Donors recog-nizes alumni monetary gifts made to the school fromJuly 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. We have madeevery effort to provide a complete and accurate list-ing. However, errors or omissions may occur, andwe hope you will accept our sincere apologies.Please contact Karla Wiese, director of development,in the Advancement Office at (925) 288-8195 orwiesek@dlshs.org, and we will correct our records.

Each year we honor an Alumnus of the Year whohas lived out the school’s core values of faith,integrity, and scholarship, and who has been

outstanding in his vocation, service to others, anddedication to De La Salle’s mission.

The Alumnus of the Year for 2011 is Steven M.Abreu of the class of 1983, whose public service andcharitable work and loyalty to De La Salle areexemplary. Steve and wife Kellie and daughter Madeleinelive in New York, where Steve works for Ally Financialas President of GMAC Mortgage. Steve is a graduate ofUSF, and has been in the mortgage business since 1988.

Says Steve, “A few core beliefs that I learned at DeLa Salle have helped me incredibly both in business andfamily life. Loyalty and honesty are key to everything.

You want people to trustwhat you have to say – andat the end of the day, yourreputation is what it is allabout. Also important isnever to feel that you areabove anyone that you workwith. You want yourassociates to be at ease withyou and not be afraid to tellyou what is on their mind.And I always try toremember that words haveimpact. Asking how someone is doing, saying thank-youfor a job well done, these simple things pay dividends inall relationships. And I believe in always giving back,especially to the community that has taught me so much.I see too many successful people who do not give back totheir community. Giving back to De La Salle through theBishop Cummins Scholarship Program, throughsupporting the student center, or helping with the annualauction – these are very important to Kellie and me. DeLa Salle is a very special place. I thank my parents forsending me and my brother Jim ’84 here, and I’m glad tosee friends of mine now sending their boys to De LaSalle.” For more from and about Steve, including hisextensive philanthropic activities, see the Alumni page atwww.dlshs.org.

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alumni news

Alumnus of the Year 2011

Every Gift Is a Major GiftEvery supporter and every gift is crucial to the fulfillment of our mission, and there are many ways to give:

• Pledges — commitments payable over three to five years.

• Outright Gifts — gifts of cash are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

• Endowed Gifts — a lasting tribute to your chosen honoree or for a specific program.

• Stocks, Securities, Real Property — are tax-deductible based on market value, and donors can avoid capital gains taxes on appreciated property.

• Matching Gifts — employers will double or even triple an employee’s gift. Currently more than 145 companies take part.

• In-Kind Gifts — goods or commodities relevant to our educational program.

• Vehicles — a car, truck, RV, or boat can be a tax-deductible donation.

• United Way — De La Salle is qualified as a recipient of United Way donations.

• Bequests — Remembering De La Salle in your will creates a lasting legacy (see above).

• Planned Giving — Planned and deferred gifts, through appreciated stock, bonds, real property, bequests, trusts, and insurance, provide mutually beneficial giving opportunities; and can provide significant tax advantages to donors.

Visit www.dlshs.org and click on the Support De La Salle tab for complete information, forms, and secure onlinetransactions. Or contact Chief Advancement Officer Heather Pastorini at (925) 288-8106 or pastorinih@dlshs.org. De La Salle High School thanks you for your support.

“Core beliefs I learned at De La Salle have helped me in life and work."

De La Salle High School Alumni of the Year:

2002 William D. O’Malley (1974)2003 Christopher B. Bruni (19762004 Philip D. Donahue (1978)2005 Faculty Alumni2006 Rev. Mark Wiesner (1981)2007 Co-honorees Stephen Lilly (1993)

and Kelly Trevethan (1981)2008 Nels D. “Dan” Niemi (1981)2009 Robert Montgomery (1970)2010 John Hallett III (1997)2011 Steven M. Abreu (1983)

Steven M. Abreu ‘83

24 UNION FALL 2011

alumni news

Shirley Ann Amato grandmother ofHunter Hughes '13

Christopher Randolph Austria '87uncle of Jonathan Andrew AustriaSapinoso '13

Eddy Paul Balocco father of JonBalocco '79

Eleanor Margaret Blankenberg motherof Tikoes Adriaan Blankenberg '74,Erick Blankenberg '76 and FrancisBlankenberg '78

Janone S. Boyce grandmother of CorbyStead '88

Tyler Bunn '13

Elvis Cannon grandfather of Elvis E.Cannon '84 and Christopher J.Cannon '89

Bernard E. Church grandfather of DevinChurch '06

Phyllis Marie Cotruvo grandmother ofKyle Cutruvo '08

Albino DeMarco uncle of MarkDeMarco '78

Charles Dooher father of James Dooher'82 (deceased), Brendan Dooher '83and Paul Dooher '85

Marion "Honey" Giblin mother ofJames Giblin '77

Katherine Godkin mother of MatthewGodkin '10, Peter Godkin '12, andSean Godkin '15

Ottavia "Tina" Gray mother of MichaelTeslar '72

Rosemarie Greenup grandmother ofJohn Sanchez '13 and MarkSanchez '15

Catherine Louise Guglielmino motherof Garg Guglielmino, 69, grandmotherof Scott Guglielmino '03 andMatthew Guglielmino '06

Joseph Hare grandfather of JosephHare '11, Jason Hare '12, and KevinHare '13

Dorothy Jean Harless grandmother ofMartin Harless '04

Marilyn Koven-Rufener grandmother ofJohn Koven '95

Frank Mascheroni grandfather of AllenF. Smoot '12 and Scott G. Smoot '15

Ken Monnens, Sr. father of KenMonnens, '72, David Monnens, '78and Neil Monnens '84

Janice Montgomery wife of RobertMontgomery ‘70

Sterling Ricks father of Jason Ricks'86

Robert R. Shearer father of DanielShearer '87

Janet Ann Stickle mother of RobertStickle '85

Mark Andrew Trimble ’81

J. Ronald Williams father of GregoryWilliams '88

Pauline S. Witts mother of EdwardWitts '73

In MemoriamMay they rest in peace…with God forever.

“When the Spartans Come Back to Concord”500 Alumni Reunite in Summer 2011

The line is not as lyrical as the one in the famouslove song, “When the Swallows Come Back toCapistrano….” But the sight each summer is

exhilarating: Alumni returning to where they grew up, torenew friendships, share stories, touch home base, andrefresh their commitment to De La Salle, before they wingoff again into their lives. Each class has its reunion on afive-year basis – and the years do pass quickly. It’s hard tobelieve that the 50th anniversary of De La Salle’sfounding will be in 2015.

For summer 2011, the 40-year reunion ofthe class of 1971 was at Renaissance ClubSportin Walnut Creek; the 35-year reunion of theClass of 1976 was at Pyramid Alehouse inWalnut Creek; the 30-year reunion ofthe class of 1981 was at RenaissanceClubSport; the 25-year anniversary of the class of 1986was celebrated at Pyramid Alehouse, as were the 20-yeargathering of the class of 1991 and the 15-year reunion forthe class of 1996; the 10-year anniversary for the class of2001 was observed at Scott’s Garden in Walnut Creek;and Pyramid Alehouse was the venue when the Class of

2006 got together to review its first five years “out of thenest.” Nearly 500 alumni took part in the 2011 festivities.Tim Roberts ’88, Alumni Relations Director, says,“Several tours of campus were provided for those whohave not been home in a while. Alumni are always excitedto see how the school has grown and changed, and more

importantly, how some things have remained thesame.”

CLASSES OF 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987,1992, 1997, 2002, and 2007: See you in Summer2012. Like the tiny birds that swoop back to thefamous old California Mission each March, put it

on your calendar to come back to yourConcord alma mater in Summer 2012.

Dates will be posted in October onwww.dlshs.org, along with all Alumni Events for the year.

The reunions are great fun, and De La Salle’scontinuing educational mission is a great cause to support.The only thing we’re lacking is a theme song. “When theSpartans come back to Concordstrano?” “-- to WalnutCreeko?” Well, we will continue to work on that.

alumni news

Brother Maris and the Brothers’ BoysGentlemen, start your engines. If you haven’t been in ashotgun start for a golf tournament, it’s a crossbetween a military maneuver and a go-kart race.

FALL 2011 UNION 25

Whether you are a golfer or not, join us on October 9, 2011, at Diablo Country

Club for “A Classic Evening,” to be followed October 10 by the annual Golf Classic.

See the ad on page 19.

At 1030 hours on Monday, May 9, at Round Hill Country Club, aconvoy of golf carts roared away from the clubhouse – actually, beingbattery-powered, they glided silently away – and peeled off toward

their assigned spots at each of the 18 holes. When every hole had its firstfoursome in place, the starter’s cannon boomed, echoing around the course, tosignal that the time had come to tee it high and let it fly.

Sponsored by the Alumni Association, and marking its 27th year, theBrother Maris Golf Tournament honors Brother Maris Spillane, FSC (1920-1976), who came to De La Salle in 1974 and was the first Spartan golf coach.The tournament is a great day out for alumni and friends, with food, games,raffles, auctions, and the hole-in-one shootout. (Sorry, but nobody’s effortfound the cup for the $1,000,000 prize). And the fun has a purpose: To raisetuition aid for present and future Spartans. Director of Alumni Relations TimRoberts ’88 said that this year’s tournament raised more than $25,000, whichbrings the Alumni Endowment Fund for Financial Aid to nearly $175,000.

Brother Maris’s memory was represented not only by those who calledhim “Brother” and “Coach” but also by those who called him “Uncle Mike.”At left is the Spillane Foursome: (l. to r.) Brendan, Jim, Bill, and AdamSpillane. Bill and Jim are nephews, and Brendan and Adam are their sons.Brother Maris, we are told, had 32 nieces andnephews and 51 great nieces and great nephews. “Weall adored our Uncle Mike,” says Suzanne Spillane-Schmidt, a De La Salle parent. “The Sullivan family(of Sonoma) donated two cases of Brother Marislabel wine for the silent auction, but unfortunatelythey were unable to be there in person. It was a funday and we were happy to see that the tradition isgoing full force. Thank you for this great event, andlook out -- we are practicing our golf!”

The De La Salle Alumni Association thanks allthe sponsors, donors, volunteers, players, andkibitzers, and urges you to save the date for the nextBrother Maris Tournament: May 14, 2012.

Brother Maris at the range inhis DLS windbreaker and

golfer’s cap

Mark Collins 2010. The DLS collegecounselors e-mail all graduates one yearafter graduation, asking them to reflect ontheir first year post-high school and howwell prepared they were. Mark Collins ’10replied from UC Davis at length. A briefexcerpt:

“The DLS brotherhood prepared me betterthan I thought possible. Having the firmfoundation and background of acceptance,faith, brotherhood, academic focus, friend-ship, and love has, I believe, strengthenedmy heart to face the challenges I see othersstruggling with. In particular I thank thefaculty and staff. After taking AP Englishclasses with Mr. Graham and Mr. Pelster, Ihave laughed to see praising commentsand near-perfect scores on my collegepapers, because those hard graders in highschool would accept nothing less. And Mr.Olwell's teaching from Algebra 3 and APStat keeps popping up in my Engineeringlevel calculus classes. Olwell is a genius,and his teaching style has honestly mademe say ‘Thank you, Olwell’ out loud inclass. ... I think I'd like to say to the stu-dents at DLS, look to the future with opti-mism. Life's got a lot in store for you, andif you think you grew a lot in maturityyour Senior year, well, get ready for ainteresting ride.”

Matt Savage 2008.A senior at SantaClara University,Matt is a cross coun-try runner with adouble major and anear-perfect GPA. Insummer 2011 he didan internship,prepped for theLSAT, vacationed a bit, and put in a fewhundred miles of training. His senior yearwill include a fellowship on ethical issuesin college athletics. Matt was interviewedby the Santa Clara sports news departmentin August. An excerpt:

Santa Clara: You achieved an impressive

3.86 GPA last year while double majoring in

English and Philosophy. How do you balance

your athletic commitments with academics?

What are your career aspirations?

Matt Savage: “Academics are reallystressed on our team. We are a pretty com-petitive group of guys, and that attitudecarries over into the academic side as well.We are constantly pushing ourselves to bebetter. Our coach is a huge contributor tothat culture. He really does make academ-ics a priority. I think the biggest thing real-ly is that I am doing something that I ampassionate about and I love. English andespecially philosophy fascinate me everytime I set foot inside a classroom. I stillhave plenty of late nights, and my share ofall-nighters to labor through, but a lot ofthe time it doesn't feel like work. The samegoes for running. And that's a philosophy Iwould like to continue carrying on in myprofessional career as well. Right now, theplan is to attend law school and then workin criminal prosecution. If philosophy hastaught me one thing, it's that I love toargue, so law school just seemed like thenatural next step.”

Mike Bausch 2000 and John Davey2002. If you’re in Oklahoma and you geta craving for great pizza or Italian food,what do you do? Head to Andolini’s.Shortly after Mike Bausch ’00 graduatedfrom Saint Mary’s College in 2004, theBausch clan (parents Art and Margaret,brother Jim with family, and Mike) made adream come true by founding a restaurant.Andolini is the maiden name of the grand-mother from whom the recipes descend.The original Andolini’s in Owasso has wonnumerous “best local” awards, and a sec-ond location, involving partner JohnDavey ’02 has been opened in Tulsa. Mikehas been a member of the World PizzaChampions American team, competing inLas Vegas and Italy. Mike wrote recentlyto Roger Hassett in DLS Campus Ministryto say that he thinks some of his business

success is owing to what he learned at DeLa Salle and particularly through Kairosretreats. “I’ve had over 400 employees inthe past six years with a low turnover,most of them high school kids who comein kind of lost. I aim to have them leaveprepared to be good, fair, business peoplewith integrity as they go on to college ortheir future career. As a result of DLS andKairos, along with the gifts of a solid edu-cation, I have been able to use Andolini’sto help a lot of schools, churches, andcommunity outreach programs.”Check outMike Bausch, champion pizzaiolo, atwww.AndoPizza.com.

26 UNION FALL 2011

alumni news

Staying in Touch: What’s Happening?Our theme is “Scholarship,” so we start with some young alumni – startingcollege, finishing college, and out in the business world after college -- whoare building upon their De La Salle education.

What’s Happening?Send your news and photos

to Tim Roberts, Director of Alumni Relations,

at robertst@dlshs.org. —

Log on at www.dlshs.org/alumni.

Fan us on Facebook:We’re dlshsalumni.Alumni, discover theFacebook Store:Make a donation andget a unique gift.

FALL 2011 UNION 27

alumni news

Darrell Fung 1984. Darrell and MariaFung share the good news of daughterHannah Noelle Fung. Hannah was lessthan 4 lbs. at birth on December 12, 2009,and stayed in the neonatal intensive carefor 17 days before coming home. Thephoto shows Hannah just before her firstbirthday. Says Darrell, “We named her‘Hannah’ for Hannah in the Bible, whoseprayer for a child was granted, and‘Noelle’ for being an early Christmas gift.”

John Pelster 1987. English teacher andcross country coach at De La Salle, JohnPelster was interviewed recently by CrossCountry Express and by a new high schoolsports site called Bay Preps. Both onlineinterviews are linked at the DLS AlumniPage www.dlshs.org/alumni.

John Hallett 1997. Our Alumnus of theYear for 2010, John, a captain in the U.S.Army, was killed in Afghanistan in August2009 (See the Union Fall 2010.) His widowLisa Hallett was in San Francisco in July torun the San Francisco Marathon, with twogroups that run in memory of fallen sol-diers and on behalf of wounded soldiers.Since John’s death, Lisa has run eightmarathons and has helped to found WearBlue: Run to Remember. John’s brothersChris ’00 and Thomas ’03, and manyother DLS alumni and friends, are amongthose who take part in activities that keepJohn’s memory alive and continue his tra-dition of selfless service. The website iswww.johnhallett.com.

Eric Spamer 2004. Eric graduated fromUCLA in 2007 and works for NavigantConsulting in Los Angeles as a litigationconsultant in financial cases. On July 16,

2011, in Berkeley, Eric married LaurenaDavis, whose specialty is pediatric occupa-tional therapy. Among the groomsmen atthe wedding were Carey Matthews ’04 andBryan Chong ’04.

Christopher L. Kinsel 2004. FirstLieutenant Kinsel, of the 101st AirborneDivision, was awarded a Bronze Star withValor for his actions in Afghanistan onSeptember 30, 2010, in braving enemy fireand directing his platoon to ensure theevacuation of a wounded soldier. He wascited for “bravery, selflessness, andcourage under fire.”

For many more stories and news online,visit the De La Salle Alumni page.

De La Salle High School’s gala fundraising event of the year.At the fabulous Blackhawk Auto Museum.

Talk, dine, dance, and bidon live and silent auctions

with a few hundred close friends.

Information:Chief Advancement Officer

Heather Pastoriniat 925-288-8106

or pastorinih@dlshs.org

Save the Date!

Spring AuctionMarch 31, 2012

Lisa Hallett with Bryce, Heidi, and Jackson

SUPER CORRECTION: In our report in the Spring 2011 Union

on the Auction Gala of April 16, wesaid that De La Salle could boast twoSuper Bowl winners among its alumni,Amani Toomer ’92 and Aaron Taylor

’90. Not so. The mother of Doug Brien’89 reminds us that Doug won SuperBowl XXIX with the SF 49ers, at the

start of a ten-year career as a top placekicker in the NFL.

Spartan Sportsmanship on DisplayGood memories, hearty laughter, and heartfelt tributes, as we welcomed the thirdclass of inductees in school history into the De La Salle Athletic Hall of Fame.

Great athletes in their teens,Spartans from three decadeswho have grown into fine

men in their maturity came back tocampus on June 5, along with 250friends and family and fans, to cele-brate the tradition of Spartansports excellence that they helpedto develop. The AlumniAssociation sponsored an induc-tion ceremony that was crisplyemceed by sportscaster SeanFarnham ’96, and was fol-lowed by a get-together inthe gym, beneath the many

championship banners, with excellent food and drink fromPyramid Brewing Company. Sean was captain of the Spartan bas-ketball team that won the school’s first NorCal title, and he went on to playfour years for the UCLA Bruins.

School president Mark DeMarco ’78 said, “When they were young, the men we honor todaytook on the challenge of Spartan athletics, the challenge of being not just good and skilled, but of being responsibleto teammates and accountable to coaches, of integrating sports into the whole process of their education, and becom-ing true members of the Spartan brotherhood. In addition, one of the men we recognize was not a student, but a val-ued colleague, who as teacher, coach, and dean, helped students to learn the values and build the character that

would stand them in good stead in athletics and in life.”Scott Molina ’78, the great Spartan runner and world-class

triathlete, who was home in Christchurch, New Zealand, andprofessional soccer goalie Adin Brown ’96, who had a gamescheduled that afternoon, spoke to the crowd via videotaped mes-sages. But in the hall in person, to accept their induction andreflect movingly on their De La Salle years and the educationthey received as athletes and students, were Mark Panella ’85,legendary for his football and baseball skills, Patrick Walsh ’93,still as passionate now as when he dominated on the gridiron andthe diamond, Bernie Stenson ’70, a swimmer without compareand the school's first All-American, and the 1991 Cross CountryTeam (Jason Chuderewicz, Chris Coats, Proinsias Fitzpatrick,John Kelly, Rob Koller, Matt McCoy, Mike Prindiville, TyWalker, Jim Zachary), the unlikely group of young runners thatbrought the school its first state title in the sport. Rounding outthe roster of honorees was still-larger-than-life Frank Tamony, alongtime teacher, baseball coach, Dean of Students, and mentorto generations of DLS students.

Director of Alumni Relations Tim Roberts '88 said, “It was aterrific event, and we have heard nothing but compliments on

Mark Panella ’85

Patrick Walsh ’93

Sean Farnham ’96

alumni news

28 UNION FALL 2011

Bernie Stenson ’70

Frank Tamony

FALL 2011 UNION 29

the inductees, the program, and the day. I'm grateful to the Hall of Fame Committee and to all of our inductees forgiving us yet another example of the Spartan spirit in action.”

The 2011 inductees joined a Hall of Fame that includes the following: Students: Richard Kimball ’74 (long dis-tance running), Matt Castello ’80 (baseball), Erik Johnson ’83 (baseball), Jason Clark ’85 (diving), Mike Vontoure’86 (track, baseball, basketball), Jon Barry ’87 (basketball), Brent Barry ’90 (basketball), Aaron Taylor ’90 (football),Amani Toomer ’92 (football); Coaches: Perry “PK” Kelly (teacher and coach), Joe Stocking (coach of cross country,track, and soccer); Teams: The 1982 varsity football team; the 1985 varsity baseball team.

The De La Salle Athletic Hall of Fame seeks to mirror the whole history of the growth and maturation of sportat De La Salle by selecting the best of the best from all decades of the school's existence. Eligible for nomination areathletes, coaches, teams, members of the athletic staff, and supporters of De La Salle athletics. For complete infor-mation, contact Director of Alumni Relations Tim Roberts ’88 at robertst@dlshs.org or by phone at 925-288-8171.

A BLUR IN SPARTAN GREEN -- At a 2011 track meet on De La Salle’s track, social studies instructor and

school photographer Bob Sansoe put his camera behind the finish line, trained it on junior Michael

Barton, and snapped 21 photos from start to finish, some of which Union magazine designer Jack Farage

poured into the fluid montage above. Michael wrapped up his year by winning the NCS tournament of

champions title in the 110-meter high hurdles in a personal best time of 14.22 seconds.

30 UNION FALL 2011

spartan sports

SPORTS OVERVIEW

GolfEBAL 2nd placeNCS 2nd place

NorCal championsState championship 4th place

LacrosseEBAL champions

NCS championship finalist

Swimming and DivingEBAL 4th placeNCS 7th place

NCS individual dive champion

Track and FieldEBAL championsNCS champions

BadmintonNCS championship

first-round participant

TennisEBAL 5th place

VolleyballEBAL championsNCS champions

BaseballEBAL 2nd place

NCS championship finalist

S p r i n g

Fa l l S p o r t sFootball 3.19 • Water Polo 3.38 • Cross Country 3.65W i n t e r S p o r t sWrestling 3.04 • Soccer 3.21 • Basketball 3.00

S p r i n g S p o r t sVolleyball 3.29 • Swimming & Diving 3.33 • Track &Field 3.37 • Golf 3.36 • Lacrosse 3.24 • Tennis 3.56 •Baseball 3.20

Scholars and Athletes: Teams Top North Coast Section in GPAThe North Coast Section recognizes as Scholastic Championship Teams the varsity squads with the threehighest composite grade point averages of 3.0 and above. With 168 schools in the NCS, De Le Salle isamong the top three in four sports (football, cross country, track and field, and lacrosse) and close to thetop in others. Also, De La Salle as a school was second in the tabulation for the Elmer Brown ExcellenceAward, with which the NCS honors combined athletic and academic accomplishments. Congratulations tothe Spartan student-athletes and also to the coaches and families who guided, supported, and challengedthem to these outstanding achievements. GPAs for all our teams are here:

2011 Spartan Grads Get College Athletic ScholarshipsMichael Bernardi (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) soccer Anthony DeCosta (Santa Clara University) soccerConnor Hunt (Cornell University) lacrosse Kristian Ipsen (Stanford University) divingJonathan De Los Reyes (Saint Mary’s College of California) golf Preston Lyon (College of William & Mary) footballThomas Nelson (Princeton University) water polo Antoine Pickett (Sacramento State University) footballBlake Renaud (Boise State University) football Lucas Shapiro (Cornell University) footballLuke Sheridan (Indiana University) wrestling Devin Williams (Duquesne University) footballAndy Wooldridge (University of Hawaii) swimming Dylan Wynn (Oregon State University) football

FALL 2011 UNION 31

Suddenly, fifty feet away, a small clay disk flies up,spinning away from you, cutting through the air atmore than forty miles an hour. You have one chance

to hit it before it falls to earth. And on either side of youstand teammates who will shoot at subsequent targets, intheir turn, and who are counting on you to add to theirscore.

If it was your finger on the trigger, how doyou think you would do? The five-man squadrepresenting De La Salle in the California StateChampionships in Stockton on June 18 and 19faced this challenge one thousand times in thecourse of two days. Greg Schmidt, ZachStratton, Matt Wallace, Emmanuel Rovirosa,and Glenn Ormond fired a thousand times –and they knocked 883 targets out of the air totake First Place in California at the junior varsity level.

The team is only in its second year of existence, andby rule no shooters in their first year of competition(which is most of the De La Salle club) can compete atthe varsity level. The club was formed in 2010 at the

inspiration of Chris Swasey ’10, a longtime practitionerof the sport and a frequent junior champion. In its 2010season the trap team had a strong showing, makingthird in the state at varsity level. In 2011, with Chrisgone off to Cal State Stanislaus, and with too fewshooters even to field a varsity team, the cool and pre-cise marksmen calmly shot their way to the only statetitle available to them. They were also second in theleague during the regular season.

The 2011 team had 21 members,including three from Carondelet, and theassistance of Coaches Wade Haley, KenFong, Jeffery Schlagel, Hal Reiland, GregFahmie, and Gary Weese, with Greg Schmitzas faculty moderator. Assistant Principal JackDyer takes over as faculty moderator for the2012 season.

The sport is practiced under the aus-pices of the California Youth Shooting Sports

Association (CYSSA), which states, “The programfocuses on teaching sound shooting fundamentals, safefirearms handling, commitment, responsibility, leader-ship and teamwork.” For information, visithttp://shootcyssa.com.

De La Salle Trap Shooting Team takesa state title in the team’s second year

Straight Shot to aChampionship

32 UNION FALL 2011

The level of achievement all around in the 2010-2011 school year, both in sports and in studies, was ultra-high.Four teams were NCS Scholastic Champions, with top Grade Point Averages in the section; and 14 graduatingseniors accepted college athletic scholarships (see page 30). In California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)

sports, we added a new team this year, as four pioneering students and coach Andrew Berkes created the Spartan bad-minton team. In non-CIF sports, the fledgling Trap Shooting Team took a Best in State title (see page 31), while theRugby team was the champion in its league and a semi-finalist in the Northern California region. In CIF sports, theresults were these: League: Seven teams finished first in the League, and two teams finished second. Section: Sixteams finished first in the Section, and five teams finished second. Region: In the NorCal region, two teams finishedfirst (golf and basketball). State: In the State of California, one team finished first (football); one team finished second(basketball); and two teams finished fourth (wrestling and golf). Here is a recap of what our teams (in alphabeticalorder by sport) accomplished:

The Best Year Ever?Friends and fans of De La Sallemight enjoy ponderingthe question.

B a dm i n t o n ( f i r s t y e a r ! )Section championship first-round participant

Ba s e b a l lLeague 2nd placeSection championship finalist

Ba s k e t b a l lLeague championsSection championship finalistNorCal championsState Division I championship finalist

C r o s s C o u n t r yLeague ChampionsSection Champions

F o o t b a l lLeague ChampionsSection ChampionsState Open Division Champions

Go l fLeague 2nd placeSection 2nd placeNorCal championsState championship 4th place

L a c r o s s eLeague championsSection championship finalist

S o c c e rLeague 4th placeSection champions

Sw imm i n g a n d D i v i n gLeague 4th placeSection 7th placeSection individual dive champion

Te n n i sLeague 5th place

T r a c k a n d F i e l dLeague championsSection championsState meet Division I 66th place overall

Vo l l e y b a l lLeague championsSection champions

Wa t e r P o l oLeague 2nd placeSection semi-finalist

Wr e s t l i n gLeague championsSection championsState Division I championship 4th place

A final note: ESPN’s Cal Hi Sports each year names ‘State Schools of the Year’in athletics. There is an open category, in which a school with both male andfemale athletes is most likely to be honored. And there are single-sex categories,in which a boys’ school and a girls’ school are named. For 2010-11, De La Sallewas named School of the Year for boys -- the sixth time that De La Salle haswon the boys-only honor. More remarkably, De La Salle has also been namedthe overall School of the Year three times (1995-96, 1999-2000, 2003-04).Amid many great years, 2010-2011 has been another. Congratulations, studentsand coaches, parents, supporters, and fans. For complete sports information,visit the Athletics page at www.dlshs.org, where Sports Information Director AlDel Grande has compiled a rich trove of stories and photos.

FALL 2011 UNION 33

Class, Take Your SeatsOne day in July a few hundred bright shiny newdesks appeared on the pavement outside theHofmann Student Center, all ready to head towardtheir newly cleaned and refurbished classroom homesfor the 2011-2012 school year. The question: How doyou get them from outdoors to indoors? The answer:Harness some Spartan power. A friendly group offootball players, not averse to doing some heavy lift-ing, heaved the new furniture up on their shouldersand in a short while reduced the pile to nothing.Many hands make short work, and many desks makean unusual summer workout. Don’t forget to tune toESPN TV on Friday, September 23, to see theSpartans play the St. Thomas Aquinas Raidersin Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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2011-2012

Friday, September 23Sunday, October 9Monday, October 10Friday, October 14Saturday, November 12Wednesday, November 23Wednesday, November 23Wednesday, December 7Thurs-Sat, December 8-10Saturday, January 21Thursday, February 16Saturday, March 31Monday, May 14

Fort Lauderdale (FL) ESPN-TVDiablo Country ClubDiablo Country ClubOwen Owens FieldBrother Celestine TheatreDe La Salle CampusDe La Salle GymDe La Salle CampusDe La Salle GymDe La Salle CampusDe La Salle CampusBlackhawk Auto MuseumRound Hill Country Club

Football vs. St. Thomas Aquinas A Classic EveningGolf ClassicFootball Homecoming GameCompany Drama, Alumni NightAlumni Soccer GameAlumni Basketball GameChoir Christmas Concert, Alumni NightVontoure Basketball ClassicCrab FeedBacchanalia: Food and Wine FestDe La Salle AuctionBrother Maris Golf Tournament

How do you know that summer is ending?

It’s when the song of the tuba is heard on campus. If themarching band is turning out for practice, then fall is com-ing, and football, and spirit rallies, and cheering yourselfhoarse for the Spartans, can’t be far behind. Patrick Crane,Jack Hurley, and Valentin Huerta even paid a visit to theOffice of Advancement to give us a sample of their sound.Behind them can be seen Director of Alumni Relations TimRoberts ’88, cheering on the talented trio of tuba-tooters.Or maybe he is saying, “Inside voices, boys!”